Quick Answer
The answer is Traffic Mirroring and Amazon S3. Traffic Mirroring is the correct service because it captures full packets, including headers and payloads, from Elastic Network Interfaces attached to EC2 instances, then duplicates and forwards this traffic to a target for analysis, unlike VPC Flow Logs which only record metadata like IP addresses and port numbers. Amazon S3 serves as the ideal storage destination for these captured packets, enabling long-term retention and later forensic analysis. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between packet-level capture and log-based monitoring, a common trap where engineers mistakenly choose VPC Flow Logs for deep packet inspection. Remember the memory tip: “Mirror for full packets, Flow for metadata only.”
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network security, compliance and governance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A security engineer needs to capture and analyze network traffic between two EC2 instances in the same VPC for troubleshooting. The engineer wants to capture full packets and store them for later analysis. Which TWO AWS services can be used together to accomplish this? (Choose TWO.)
Amazon S3
Can store the mirrored traffic for analysis.
AWS Config
Why wrong: Tracks configuration changes.
VPC Flow Logs
Why wrong: Captures metadata only.
Traffic Mirroring
Captures full packet content.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why wrong: Not designed for packet storage.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon S3
Options A and C are correct. Traffic Mirroring (A) captures full packets and sends them to a target. Amazon S3 (C) can store the captured traffic. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture metadata only. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Logs is not designed for packet storage. Option E is wrong because AWS Config does not capture traffic.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon S3
Why this is correct
Can store the mirrored traffic for analysis.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS Config
Why it's wrong here
Tracks configuration changes.
VPC Flow Logs
Why it's wrong here
Captures metadata only.
Traffic Mirroring
Why this is correct
Captures full packet content.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Amazon CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Not designed for packet storage.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Network Security, Compliance and Governance — This question tests Network Security, Compliance and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon S3 — Options A and C are correct. Traffic Mirroring (A) captures full packets and sends them to a target. Amazon S3 (C) can store the captured traffic. Option B is wrong because VPC Flow Logs capture metadata only. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch Logs is not designed for packet storage. Option E is wrong because AWS Config does not capture traffic.
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This ANS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ANS-C01 exam.
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